Forest dept may hike penalty for Felling trees

In an effort to preserve green cover of Gurgaon, the Haryana forest department has prepared a proposal to increase the penalty for illegal felling of trees from Rs 500 to Rs 25,000.

According to the officials of the department, the move was proposed during a meeting of the district officials held on June 21 in Chandigarh.

“The decision is not yet final. We have only proposed it. In the next meeting, we will prepare a final draft of it,” said Pankaj Goel, conservator of forest, Gurgaon. Penalty is slapped on anyone who fells trees in a protected or reserved forest area notified under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA)- 1900.

Officials have opined that increasing penalty will help in curbing the offence as violators had begun to take the penalty for granted. “Once this amendment is passed, the offence is bound to decrease,” added Goel.

With the satellite town’s soaring real estate value, private developers have been eyeing its green cover. The city has witnessed several cases of illegal tree felling.